What's the Big Deal About New Year's Eve?
by JessieBess
Summary: Tom and Sybil dated while at university but his job took him away and they broke up. It's ten years later and it's new year's eve. What lasting effect does their past have on them now?
1. Chapter 1

_I had planned on making this a one-shot and publishing it on New Year's – since it is a New Year's Eve story. But as so often happens things don't go as planned. It's only my second attempt at a contemporary story but I thought I'd try something different. The second, and final, chapter should be up in a day or two._

 _Wishing everyone a very happy and healthy New Year!_

 **Ten Years Ago**

Tom put the phone down, broke out in a big grin, raised his fists in the air and shouted "I did it."

Although there was no one else in the room, indeed in the house, he continued to strut up and down the floor of the first floor sitting room, pumping his fists in the air and whooping like an American cowboy.

It was several minutes before he composed himself and collapsed on the sofa. He couldn't believe that he had gotten the job. Although he had been called back for a second interview he had left that interview somewhat downcast, not for any particular reason or that he thought he hadn't done well, it was just a feeling he had. He had answered all the questions of the three member panel but Tom thought one of panelist had seemed rather hostile to him.

Leaving the interview, he spied the next candidate sitting comfortably in the waiting lounge dressed in an obviously expensive three piece suit, looking as if he'd be at home at Eton or some other posh school. Tom had wanted to wipe that smug look off the git's face. Since he had been in England he had come to know that type rather well, they knew that their names and fortunes would always open doors to them that weren't available to blokes like Tom.

Walking out of the room, Tom loosened his silk blue tie, a good luck gift from Sybil, and undid the top bottom of his starch white shirt. He was wearing his finest suit the type of which could be bought at any good department store but certainly not tailored made as that git's suit. He had left the hotel in high spirits after Sybil had complimented him on his attire.

"If they're hiring on appearances alone" she had said "you'll get the job."

"That sounds rather sexist" Tom smirked. "Especially coming from a feminist like you."

"Well I may be a feminist but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a good looking man" Sybil returned.

"Yes" Tom laughed. "I couldn't help but notice how much you showed your appreciation last night."

"Tom!" Even though they had been dating for over a year now, he could still make Sybil blush.

Sybil. The thought of her caused Tom to pause in his merriment at the job offer. Sybil.

When he had applied for the job, Tom assumed it would be at the headquarters office in London where he had gone for the interviews. During the first interview and even most of the second one, the focus had been on Tom's qualifications and education. It was only towards the end of the second interview that the question of working for one of the overseas bureaus had been brought up. Of course he was available to work overseas he had answered, in fact he looked forward to such an opportunity for one should arise he added never dreaming that such an opportunity would present itself now and not in a few years' time.

Hong Kong. There had been no specific mention of Hong Kong during the interviews. But now on the telephone the offer had been made for a job in the Hong Kong office. The job was with the BBC, the world's oldest national broadcasting system and the largest based on the number of employees and Tom couldn't let this opportunity pass.

He had to accept it even if it meant …

He was sitting on the front steps of Sybil's flat waiting for her to return home from class. The bottle of champagne was in his backpack which lay beside him on the broad steps. His euphoria of obtaining his dream job was tempered by the dread of what this would mean for him and Sybil. She still had another year of university so her moving to Hong Kong with him was definitely out of the question.

She was so happy and excited for him that Tom didn't think it registered with her that the job was in Hong Kong.

It was only later that evening, after they had drunk the champagne and feasted on take away, since as usual Sybil's refrigerator was fairly empty except for yogurt, cheese and a couple of bottles of wine, after they had made love, that they began to talk seriously of what this meant for them.

They'd talk on the phone every day. They'd send emails daily. Sybil would visit on her term break. They'd make it work.

Only with the time difference between Hong Kong and England it wasn't so easy to talk on the phone. As part of his job, Tom traveled throughout Asia, making it sometimes seem like his flat in Hong Kong was only another hotel room.

After the first flurry of daily emails, they became less frequent. Sybil thought she didn't really have much to say on a daily basis, her routine was pretty much as it had been before Tom left, attend classes, write papers, research in the library. She didn't want to tell him of the parties she attended just to cure her loneliness or the jealousy she felt reading his emails about all the new adventures he was having. Granted most of it was about his work but that work was taking him all over Asia and he was meeting new people and exploring new places while she was still at university with the same people and going to the same places. As he became more and more involved with work his emails became less frequent.

Sybil wasn't able to visit during her first term break. She had taken an internship and had to work over her break. Both expressed their disappointment with Tom stating he understood that the internship could lead to a job after her graduation but he withheld his thoughts or rather fears that this meant her interest in him was fading. For her part Sybil was hurt that Tom didn't beg her to come to Hong Kong anyway that she'd find another job after graduation.

Tom didn't get a proper holiday until he had been on the job for a year. He went to Dublin to see his family before going to England and seeing Sybil. Her internship had led to a full time job after her graduation from university and she was now living in Edinburgh a city she had come to enjoy. She loved her work at the non-profit and was determined to make a success of it. Any hopes Tom had that Sybil would now move to Hong Kong were dashed.

It had been evident in their few phone calls and in his emails that Tom loved his job. Being in a foreign office had offered him more opportunities than Tom had imagined. He had even done some on-the-air broadcasting which he was disappointed that Sybil hadn't seen. He explained to her that he had to stay at least another year in Hong Kong before he could even think about transferring to another office. Any hopes that Sybil had that Tom would move to London or at least somewhere closer were dashed.

The week they spent together was almost like he had never been away … almost. Sybil had taken off work so she could spend as much time as possible with Tom. They spent several days just walking around the beautiful city of Edinburgh acting as tourists.

One day was spent outside the city on the coast where they took a long walk on the beach and enjoyed fresh fish and chips in one of the local villages. Another day they drove in a different direction to the country side where they had a picnic. After being in crowded Hong Kong for so long, Tom especially enjoyed those leisurely days when at times there was no other person in sight except Sybil.

And of course there were the evenings, and mornings, when they made love. At first, there was an urgency in their love making as if they knew they didn't have much time together. But as the week went on, as they grew accustom to being with each other again, it was as if they had all the time in the world to be together.

It was a chilly rainy morning when Sybil took Tom to the Edinburgh airport for his flight to London and then on to Hong Kong, the weather a fitting match for their moods. Although neither would articulate why this good-bye seemed harder than the first time Tom had left for Hong Kong. That first time both had felt excitement at the new adventure for Tom and both were confident in their future.

This time there was no excitement. They had spent a wonderful week together and in most ways it was as if they had never been apart. Yet during that week, neither had talked of the future, of their future together for both knew that Sybil had no plans to move to Hong Kong and Tom had no desire to leave his current job there.

In the end it took another six months, six months of sporadic phone conversations and fewer and fewer emails, before Tom and Sybil admitted what was so evident, their relationship was over. The distance had just been too much.

 **Present Day**

"But Sybil dear you have to come it's New Year's Eve." Sybil was glad she wasn't on skype because she couldn't contain the eye roll.

"It's just not right that you're working on New Year's Eve." How many times was her mother going to keep saying that.

"The hospital doesn't close for the holidays Mama. People still get sick or injured."

"But why do YOU have to work dear?" Her mother just wasn't giving up.

"Mama I did get Christmas off remember." Sybil thought if this conversation went on much longer she'd say something she would regret.

"It's the perfect chance for you and Larry to try to mend things, to get back together." Cora carried on as if she hadn't heard Sybil.

"Mend my relationship with Larry!" Sybil snapped.

Now Sybil was angry. Her mother knew why Sybil had broken things off with Larry, they had discussed this when Sybil had gone to Downton for Christmas, so why did she now think Sybil even wanted to revive her relationship with Larry.

"I would rather spend the rest of my life alone than get back together with Larry" Sybil couldn't contain the anger in her voice.

"I know you're angry at Larry dear … you're hurt … but this doesn't have to be the end of your relationship."

"I don't understand you Mama … don't you think I deserve someone better than Larry. Someone that won't cheat on me?"

Sybil felt tears welling up in her eyes something that happened when she was hurt and angry.

Sensing her daughter's hurt Cora said "Of course I want the best for you Sybil. I always want the best for you."

"Then why are you still trying to get me back with Larry?"

"All relationships have bumps in the road dear …"

"Bumps in the road" Sybil thundered before her mother could finish whatever she was going to say. "How could you call finding your boyfriend in bed with another woman a bump in the road?"

"I know it was hurtful Sybil. But you never gave Larry a chance to explain. He …"

"A change to explain … what is there to explain?" Sybil thought it beyond belief that she was even having this conversation with her mother.

"Well" Cora began "you do work so much and …"

"I'm not going to have this conversation again Mama."

"But Sybil you …" Cora could hear a doorbell ring in the background.

"I have to go Mama someone's at the door. I'll talk to you in the New Year." Not waiting for a response from her mother, Sybil hung up. She had never been so glad to hear a doorbell in her life even if when she answered the door she found that the party had rung the wrong flat.

During the next two days her mother called twice but Sybil ignored the calls letting them go to voice mail. She was almost as mad at her mother as she had been at Larry. Sybil knew the argument with her mother wasn't really about Larry but about her life.

Larry was from the "right kind" of family her mother would say meaning his family was wealthy and, like her father, his was an Earl. She had known Larry all her life since their families were close friends but she and Larry had never been close in fact she had always found him annoying.

A year ago he had moved to London and phoned her to ask her advice on places to live, restaurants, and the like. Against her better judgement, she had volunteered to go with him looking at flats and to her great surprise had had a wonderful afternoon. She enjoyed looking at the luxury flats Larry contemplated leasing and thought she had never seen Larry so nice and rather funny.

They went to dinner at a hole-in-the-wall place which especially seemed a come down after the flats they had just visited but was the kind of place Sybil had come to like, great home cooking or at least Sybil's idea of home cooking and cheap prices.

Now working as a nurse in London, Sybil didn't have a lot of extra money to spend. She had spent quite a bit of her trust fund buying her two bedroom flat but other than that she tried living on her salary.

In the next month Sybil saw Larry several times and eventually one thing led to another and soon they were "an item" as her mother would say. Sybil remained living in her flat but she often spent the night at Larry's when they had gone out.

If Sybil was honest with herself she wasn't really that upset about breaking up with Larry. Although finding him in bed with another woman had hurt, she was more upset at his deceit. All this time he had been telling her he was in love with her and had even asked her to move in with him, it turned out he was seeing other women. She felt like a fool that she had no idea of his behavior.

She knew she wasn't in love with Larry and never had been. Just as she hadn't really loved Paul or James the only other men she had been serious with over the past ten years. She thought she had loved them at the time but in the end she knew she didn't for neither had given her that feeling she had had with Tom. That had been love, what she had had with him, but she had been too young and too foolish to realize it then.


	2. Chapter 2

_As so often happens, I changed my mind on this story and this chapter is the result._

 **12 Years Earlier**

This was his kind of book shop, the old wooden floor to ceiling shelves crammed with books made the shop seem even smaller in comparison to the shiny new book shops which had seemed to take over the city indeed the country. Those new shops with their wide aisles and bright lights and of course the requisite booth selling upscale coffees and teas sold only best sellers or so it seemed to Tom unlike this shop which had a wide variety of all types of books, especially those on history and politics, many of which were hard to find anywhere else.

There were no seating areas here where one could peruse their book before purchasing or sit eating a scone while sipping a skinny mocha grande latte. No in this shop one thumbed through the book while standing in the narrow aisle blocking passage of any other customer as Tom was doing now.

Sybil had already quietly said "excuse me" at the young man standing in the aisle but he seemed so intent on whatever it was he was reading that he hadn't heard her.

Although the aura of this shop caused one to speak in hush tones, Sybil thought she'd have to speak up to awaken this man.

"Excuse me" she spoke again, a bit louder this time, while gently touching his arm.

"Sorry" he said absently mindedly into the air without turning to look at the voice although he moved closer to the shelf so the speaker could get by.

Neither he nor Sybil realized his backpack which lay on the floor beside him was jutting into the aisle. That is neither realized it until tripping over the bag Sybil went sprawling quite unlady like, her arms flailing in a feeble attempt to keep upright. Realizing the situation, a very quick moving Tom managed to grab hold of one of her arms while his other arm instinctively went around her waist which did prevent her from actually falling on the floor.

However, in flinging her arms wildly, Sybil knocked a book, which by it's size could more accurately be described as a tome, off the shelf and it landed with a thud on Tom's foot eliciting a loud "fecking hell" from him and causing his arms to let go of Sybil who then fell squarely on her bum. While she wasn't hurt from the fall, the shock of it was surprising and she sat there stunned.

The commotion raised the interest of the other patrons of the book shop, as well as the owner, and several converged on either end of the aisle.

Seeing Sybil sitting on the floor, the owner immediately rushed to her asking if she was all right.

"I'm fine" she said as he helped her stand up. "But I think I might have broken this man's foot."

Tom, who had stopped his cursing by now although his foot was still throbbing, finally took his eyes off his foot and for the first time looked at the girl. It was on the tip of his tongue to say something smart when his eyes locked on her face and any such thoughts vanished as he looked at the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

 **Present Day**

"You are going to Dave's New Year's Eve party aren't you?" asked Simon.

"Yeah … sure …" Tom answered his flat mate.

"You don't sound too excited" Simon responded to Tom's less than enthusiastic response.

"Well …"

"It's time for you to get out again" Simon broke in before Tom could finish. "Who knows the girl of your dreams might be there."

Tom rolled his eyes before answering Simon. "Yeah. I'm sure there will be tons of single beautiful women at Dave's just waiting for the likes of us."

"You forget now that he's married his wife Sheila will be trying to pair up all her single friends."

Tom gave Simon a look that easily said "are you crazy?"

"You think the girl of my dreams could be a friend of Sheila's?" Tom asked incredulously.

Tom had known Dave since they attended Trinity College in Dublin. Dave was an easy going sort with a quick smile and a kind word for everyone. Tom remembered some of the girls Dave had gone out with back at Trinity and none were like Sheila. Those girls had been nice friendly sorts who got along not only with Dave but his friends too, girls who had accepted Dave and his friends for who they were.

After Trinity, when Tom moved to England for graduate school, he saw Dave whenever he visited home. But after Tom moved to Hong Kong their contact had generally been the yearly Christmas card and an occasional email usually during rugby season either lamenting or bragging about the Irish teams.

"And are you forgetting exactly what Sheila is like?" Tom blurted before realizing what he was saying. "Her personality is grating."

"Yeah she is kinda domineering" Simon agreed with his friend.

"Kinda?"

Simon laughed. "Okay she IS domineering. Last week when some of us lads met up for drinks after work she called him three times in less than two hours."

Tom rolled his eyes once again.

"But the really bad part is that Dave only had one pint" Simon sounded absolutely outraged. "Two hours and one pint can you imagine?"

That's the trouble Tom thought, it's just like some women to be all sweet and nice until they rope you in and then once they think they've got you they try to change you. "You met up with the lads last week for drinks" or "you played rugby last Sunday" or "don't you think it's time you starting looking to buy a property?" Of course that last one Tom translated into "don't you think it's time to settle down and get married."

Not that Tom was opposed to marriage. Not at all. He wanted marriage and children but he just hadn't met anyone he could imagine spending his life with. Actually that wasn't true he thought … there had been one … but that had been so long ago and they had been so young and …

"Tom" Simon called out waking Tom from his thoughts. "It's been what two three months since you broke off with Aimee? Have you had a date since?"

"I've been busy at work" Tom snapped at his friend. Realizing that he might have sounded a bit too harsh Tom continued in a decidedly kinder voice "really work has been super busy and with a new boss it's been a bit tricky trying to figure out what pleases him."

"Yeah" Simon grinned "well maybe it's just that I have a hard time reconciling the work Tom with the guy I palled around with at university. The guy who probably didn't go a week without a date, the guy who was always up for a drink or two at the pub or a game of rugby."

That's the trouble with hanging out with guys that had known you for so long thought Tom, they remember your past, in fact they were a part of a lot of it.

When Tom had moved to London almost two years ago now, he had a ready made circle of friends living in the city. They were mostly guys that he had gone to university with and even two guys that he had known in high school. Some had come to London when that Irish miracle, the economic boom, had finally come crashing down, while others had been here for many years.

After being away from Ireland since he had graduated from Trinity, first at graduate school in England, then in Hong Kong, then Berlin and now London, Tom loved that he was back in close contact with his Irish mates. It had certainly made his move to London the easiest move he had done.

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During the next few days after that phone call with her mother, Sybil had thought a lot about her life. After all the New Year was only days away and wasn't it supposed to be a time for reflection, a time to assess where you were in life and where you wanted to go, a chance to make a new beginning with the new year.

Hogwash thought Sybil. You don't have to wait for New Year's Day to make changes in your life. People changed jobs or moved to a new city or got married or divorced every day of the year, people didn't wait for New Year's to make those decisions or take those actions.

Sybil herself had made a drastic change five years ago when she decided to go to nursing school. The job she had loved at the non-profit in Edinburgh had become more and more of a drudge. She saw less and less of the money taken in spent on doing truly good works. She had become appalled at the idea of spending thousands of dollars on charity dinners or balls only to realize they were lucky to make one-tenth of their costs for the actual charitable good works.

She had been thinking of what she'd like to do when a close friend had become quite ill. After many visits to the hospital and watching the nurses and doctors, it suddenly dawned on Sybil that that was what she wanted to do. Becoming a doctor would take too long and Sybil wasn't sure she was up to the required study and effort it would take but becoming a nurse seemed like a good alternative.

Her parents, predictably, were aghast that Sybil decided to go to nursing school. They might have been somewhat mollified if she had become a doctor because that was a bit more prestigious than being a nurse. But Sybil was nothing if not determined and stubborn and she had set her sights on becoming a nurse.

She attended nursing school in London and after graduation decided to stay in London, a city she had grown to love. She had been working for almost three years now and had switched to emergency room care just over a year ago. The work was challenging, sometimes depressing, always rewarding and with new patients every day never dull.

Sybil had come to realize that what her parents really wanted was for her to settle down and marry. Not that they had ever approved of any of her long-term boyfriends of which there had only been the three, Tom, Paul, and James. None of course had been the right pedigree meaning none were sons of nobility. Paul at least had come from a somewhat wealthy family due to his father's job in the stock market.

Sybil had thought that after her sister's Edith choices her parents wouldn't be so picky when it came to her. Edith had dated a married man, practically living with him, for several years before she realized that he was never going to get a divorce and marry her. She then married a man twenty years her senior who offered her the stability she craved. Now with a one-year old daughter, Edith seemed happier than Sybil had ever seen her.

Mary, after much drama, had finally married Matthew the heir to her father's title. So now with both of her sisters happily married, her mother's focus had turned to Sybil much to Sybil's displeasure especially if her mother thought a rat like Larry Grey was a good catch.

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"Black tie?" Tom asked incredulously. "Seriously Black Tie for a party at her house … that's … that's just unbelievable. It's a flat in Shoreditch not some posh house in Knightsbridge or Kensington."

When he and Simon had first talked about Dave's party it was after seeing Dave at the pub and he had invited them, as well as their whole crowd, to the party he and Sheila were throwing on New Year's Eve. There had certainly been no mention of "black tie" a detail which Tom wondered why Dave forgot to mention. Was even Dave rather embarrassed by his wife's pretentiousness.

Simon and Eamon laughed along with Tom.

"That's our lovable Sheila for you" Eamon offered.

Tom looked at his friend. "Are you going to wear Black Tie?"

"Luckily I'm not going. Nancy and I had already made other plans when we got the invitation from Sheila" Eamon answered.

"Well Tom the invitation does say Black Tie" Simon stated. "Do you think she'll let us in if we're not so dressed?"

"Would it be so terrible if she didn't?" countered Tom.

It wasn't that Tom was so opposed to Black Tie. As a journalist for the BBC, especially when living abroad, he had been invited to many such affairs and had even bought his own tuxedo and matching pants which had been tailored especially for him. One of the perks of living in Hong Kong had been the accessibility and affordability of tailor made suits and Tom had taken advantage of this and had several such suits. He had a wardrobe that far outmatched his position.

What Tom was opposed to was that this was a party in a friend's flat, not at some posh hotel or swanky address. The only fancy New Year's Eve parties he had attended had been one at the British Consulate in Hong Kong and then more recently with Anja at the Swedish Embassy in Berlin. Both of those had been big affairs attended by probably a hundred or more guests. Furthermore both those affairs had been more of a business venture, a chance for schmoozing for probably all of the attendees rather than a simple party celebrating the New Year.

As he looked again at the invitation, which was engraved as if it was for a wedding, Tom wondered when did New Year's Eve become such a big deal.


	3. Chapter 3

**11 Years Earlier**

He felt silly regardless of what Sybil said. Never in his life had he thought he be dressed as he was now. Then again he never would have imagined being in a house like Downton Abbey.

Although he knew she was Lady Sybil Crawley, something she only confessed to him months after they began dating, and had surmised she was from a wealthy family just based on her clothing, he couldn't help but notice the cashmere jumpers, the fine silk blouses, the expensive necklaces with their matching earrings, nothing had prepared him for his first sight of her family home.

"Feckin hell" he had uttered when the car had made the turn on the driveway that allowed one a full view of Downton Abbey. "It's a feckin castle."

If the outside had caught him by surprise, the inside was even more impressive. As he stood in the grand hall his eyes taking in the enormous stone fireplace, the plush chairs scattered around the huge room forming small seating areas, the carved wooden stairs leading to the second floor balcony overlooking the floor below, he wondered how someone could call this place home. Even more he wondered how someone so down to earth as Sybil could have grown up in a home like this.

"Without a doubt you'll be the most handsome man here" Sybil said as she finished adjusting his bow tie.

"I'll be the man most out of his league" Tom replied as he looked at himself in the full length mirror. He momentarily wished he was back home in Dublin spending New Year's Eve with his mates at a pub. Then, as he saw Sybil reflected in the mirror he knew he didn't want to be anywhere else but with her.

 **Present Day**

In the end Tom went to the party at Dave and Sheila's and of course he wore black tie. The party was in full swing by the time Tom arrived since he had dithered for quite some time as to whether or not to go. He had given great thought to just popping into his local pub for a pint or two instead, he knew the place would have lots of familiar faces although probably none of his mates.

He had even thought of just staying in. So what if it was New Year's Eve? Why did everyone think they had to go someplace that night? Maybe he should have stayed in Dublin rather than coming back the day after Christmas, that way he could have avoided this whole issue. Although the more he thought about that Tom realized that might have been just as bad.

His youngest brother had become engaged on Christmas Eve. Although Tom thought he was too young and hadn't really experienced life, after all he wasn't even one year out of university and was marrying his high school sweetheart, his mother was ecstatic. Now with her two younger sons married, or soon to be in the case of Etan, her oldest daughter married, and her youngest daughter deemed still too young to marry since she was only in her second year of university, her attention turned to her oldest son.

"You're almost forty Tom, don't you think it's time you thought about marriage?" his mother had asked sincerely while they sat at the kitchen table drinking tea. It was rare, especially during the holidays, for it to be just her and Tom alone in the house.

"Ma!" Tom sounded irritated. "I'm not almost forty, I'm 33."

"Well you'll be 34 in a few months."

Tom just rolled his eyes. Her question had taken Tom by surprise but then again his mother had always been a no-nonsense straight forward woman.

"And is there an age limit on getting married?" He knew he sounded testy but he didn't want this conversation. "I'll get married when I'm ready to, when I meet the right girl, when the time is right."

Now it was his mother's turn to sound exasperated. "Well with the number of women that have been in your life I'm surprised you haven't meet her yet."

Tom glared at his mother not believing what she had said. For her part, realizing what she had just said his mother reached out with her hand and covered one of Tom's, gently patting it.

"I'm afraid that didn't come out the way I meant it Tom" she said gently. "I just … I meant …" she floundered trying to put into words what she wanted to say. "I don't want you to wake up some day and realize that you let the right one get away because you didn't see it at the time."

"I want you to be happy Tommy. That's all I want for all my children."

Now as Tom sat on the edge of his bed, fully dressed in his tuxedo, his mother's words came back to him. His mother was right, he had dated a lot of women but there was only one that haunted his dreams.

Since he had come back to England, Tom had thought more about Sybil than he had in years. During his time in Hong Kong and then Berlin, Tom had thought of her but sometimes it would be months and months between such thoughts and then he'd see a dark-haired girl in the distance and there would be something about her shape or her walk or the way she tilted her head that would remind him of Sybil.

It was probably a year or so ago that he had unexpectedly seen her father. He was covering some financial story that had political overtones and had interviewed someone who worked in Westminster. Afterwards he had paused to sit on a bench outside the building to collect his thoughts before going on to his next appointment.

As he glanced around at his surroundings, Tom saw two men walking towards him, one of whom he thought looked familiar but couldn't quite place him. It was only as the men passed by him that Tom realized it was Sybil's father, Lord Grantham. Although the man had looked directly at Tom he had given no indication that he recognized him.

Seeing her father so suddenly made Tom wonder about Sybil. He began looking at the society pages in the newspapers. Her sister Mary seemed to be a regular fixture on the social charity circuit and it wasn't unusual to see her photograph in the paper. On rare occasions there were photographs of her other sister Edith or her mother but Tom never saw any photograph or mention of Sybil.

The last time he had heard of Sybil was about a year after they had broken up when his pal from graduate school, Jaime, sent a letter with his annual Christmas card and had written that he had run into Sybil at a takeaway curry shop. She was as lovely as ever Jaime wrote and had inquired if he still heard from Tom. Jaime had never mentioned Sybil after that and now that he was living in Glasgow there probably wasn't much chance he'd see her. She's probably still in Edinburgh married to some wealthy guy with a child or two Tom thought.

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Sybil was glad she had held fast despite last minute pleadings from her mother.

"I understand about Larry" her mother had finally conceded. "There will be so many people here you don't even have to speak to him. But really darling it's New Year's Eve you shouldn't have to work."

Sybil shook her head. Her mother would never understand Sybil's desire to lead a life so different from the rest of her family's. She loved working and loved having a job that mattered, that made a difference in people's lives. She knew she could never be like her sisters both of whom enjoyed the perks of being the daughters of an Earl very much.

Mary loved being in the society pages of the newspapers for her charity work as well her tireless promotion of Downton. As the wife of the future Lord Grantham, Mary made it her mission to ensure the sustainability of Downton. Edith had made the society pages, or more likely the scandal rags, more for her avant garde lifestyle than any good works. But now she was happily married, content to write an occasional article and call herself a journalist.

Sybil shunned social charity functions with only her mother's annual ball for children's aid the exception and even then she took great pains to ensure her photograph wouldn't be in the newspapers. Except for two or three really close friends, no one in London even knew Sybil was actually Lady Sybil Crawley and she intended to keep it this way. Not that she was in any way ashamed of her title or her family but Sybil didn't want people to treat her differently because of them.

"Even if I wanted to Mama I couldn't find anyone to cover my shift." Sybil hoped she sounded conciliatory because although her mother did annoy her at times she did love her. "And I won't be alone. There's a big party that a lot of the staff is going to and I can go there after my shift."

That was the truth but Sybil knew she probably wouldn't go to the party. She'd be too tired. And besides, to Sybil it was just another day. Why did everyone think they had to do something special on New Year's Eve?

Not that she was opposed to parties even ones on New Year's Eve. She had certainly been to her share of them although she usually attended the annual New Year's Eve ball her parents hosted. Maybe that was it, she was just tired of that party, surrounded mostly by people her parents' age, making the same conversation over and over again, _I'm living in London now, I'm a nurse, I'm still single, I don't have much time for such dances or dinners or whatever, how is Annabelle or Lucinda or James or whatever the name of their child was doing, yes I'd love to see them if they come to London have them give me a call._

Sybil quietly chuckled. There had once been a time when she thought the annual Downton ball was something out of Cinderella or some other fairy tale. She remembered the first time she had snuck out of the nursery and had spent what seemed like an hour with her head peeking out from the upstairs banisters and looking down at the great hall so alive with couples dancing. The women all looked so beautiful in their flowing gowns. She probably spent every year from the time she was five until she was twelve on that second floor balcony watching the party and wishing she could be part of it.

There had even been the time when she had felt like she was Cinderella and she was dancing with her Prince Charming but unlike the fairy tale there hadn't been a happily ever after for them.

And now she was spending her evening working at a hospital just so she had an excuse not to attend that ball. My how times had changed or rather had she had changed.

Sybil's shift began at two in the afternoon and ended at eleven. It was her first time working on New Year's Eve and she had been told by her co-workers to expect anything and everything although most of the patients wouldn't show up until after midnight when people began leaving their parties, many fully drunk.

Since the weather was rather mild, surprisingly bright and sunny, Sybil decided to walk to the hospital. She rarely walked to work since she was often running late and needed to take the short tube ride to make it on time. However, she found the half hour walk a pleasant way to unwind after her shift and usually only took the tube if the weather was unpleasant or she had some kind of engagement that didn't allow her to take the time to walk.

Even when she didn't get off until two or three in the morning Sybil found it more pleasant to walk home than take the tube. One of the things that Sybil had found surprising was the people that were out and about at all hours of the day and night. While her parents thought only those up to no good were out at two or three in the morning, she had discovered that people came and went to their jobs, or walked their dogs, or returned home from dates or clubbing at all hours, it seemed that we were now living in a truly 24 hour world. Of course it helped that her walk was in a fashionable area of town with many bars and restaurants.

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The party was in full swing by the time Tom arrived at half past ten. Fearing that Tom would bail at the last minute, Simon had insisted that Tom come with him and his girlfriend Siobhan. They stopped by Siobhan's neighbor's for a quick drink before proceeding on to Dave's. It was a small but lively party and Tom wished they were staying here for the evening.

Tom had only been to Dave's flat once before when he attended a birthday party for Dave. It had been summer and the crowd spilled out from the flat into the large back garden but now that it was winter this party was confined to the indoors making the room, one of those open floor plans where the kitchen, dining room, and living room were just one large space with no dividing walls, seem overly crowded.

Considering he wasn't currently seeing anyone, Tom had come without a date because he thought it wasn't the right night to ask someone for a first date. He had spoken briefly to his hosts and the other three or four people he knew and was eyeing the small buffet table filled with platters of tiny puff pastries, meatballs, cheeses, and veggies, when someone sharply tugged his arm.

"Oh my God I can't believe you're here"

Tom tilted his head in the direction of the voice and found a face just barely an inch or so from his. He immediately stepped back but her arm remained firmly planted on his.

"Don't tell me you don't remember me" she said in a voice a little too shrill and a little too loud.

Sophie … Isabelle … Olivia … it was one of those trendy names Tom thought … "Sienna" her name had finally come to him. "Of course I remember you. Happy New Year."

"I can't believe I haven't seen you in ages" Sienna began in that voice that Tom found rather irritating. He couldn't remember quite where she was from but her English accent wasn't pleasant to his ear.

"Well it was nice seeing you now" Tom smiled in reply as he turned to leave her. "I need to get a drink refill." He lifted his empty glass and shook it slightly hoping she would take the hint that he wasn't interested in chatting with her.

Although he hadn't taken any food, he didn't want to stand here talking to her. They had met on a blind date set up by Dave and Sarah. Thinking that maybe he hadn't given her a fair chance, especially since Sarah had pretty much dominated the conversation, he had asked her out on a second date much to his later regret.

Unfortunately for Tom, Sienna hadn't taken the hint and she kept popping up next to him as he circled around the room mingling with the other guests. There were two women that caught his eye but with Sienna following him around he didn't have much opportunity to chat with them.

He looked at the large wall clock near the front door and was surprised to see it was only half past eleven. When Sienna finally took a break to go to the loo, Tom saw it as his opportunity to leave the party.

He quickly darted into the bedroom to grab his overcoat and scarf, not taking the time to put them on fearing Sienna would magically appear beside him before he got away. He didn't stop to put his overcoat on until he had reached the end of the block. Even though he knew it was poor form to leave without saying a word to his hosts, and to leave before midnight at that, he thought he'd call Dave the next day to explain things.

xxxxxxxxx

Her shift had been surprisingly quiet. It wasn't the kind of day where people came in complaining of stomach pains or headaches or had children in tow sniffling and coughing. There had been a few patients who had started their celebrations a little too early, how would they have lasted until midnight she wondered, and had taken a serious fall breaking their arm or collar bone and in one case a broken ankle.

It seemed like most of the patients they did have had brought along three or four others and soon the waiting room took on a festive air. Some had even brought food which they happily shared and booze which the staff insisted be put away or it would be confiscated.

The gravest case came in just before Sybil's shift ended. A young man had fallen off a porch and landed head first on the concrete walkway below. CT scans showed he had suffered brain injury and was quickly whisked off to surgery to relieve the pressure inside his skull. Although Sybil had worked on the team determining the extent of his injuries she was not part of the surgical team for which on a night like tonight she was grateful.

Although her shift technically ended at eleven, it was half past before she was able to leave. Sybil always kept spare clothing, besides another set of scrubs, in her locker since she often changed before going home. But tonight she just opted to don a soft but warm jumper over her scrubs. That, along with her woolen coat, would keep her warm on the walk home. Once out in the cool but not unpleasantly so air, Sybil decided to head for home rather than the staff party. The streets were rather quiet except for the few people hustling to be at their destination by midnight which was now only minutes away.

As she strolled along, Sybil thought she must be the only person in the city that didn't have someplace to be. There was a group of five or six people standing on the steps of a house from which laughter and music could be heard coming through the open doorway. As Sybil walked by they congenially invited her to their party but she politely declined.

She had walked about half way home when she suddenly realized she was hungry. She knew there was a kabob shop on the next block and she hoped it was open. Desperate for a cup of tea she thought she'd just eat there rather than order a takeaway.

To her relief it was open although there was only one customer waiting for takeaway and a couple sitting at one of the tables eating their meal. She had just placed her order for a kabob and a pot of tea when the clock behind the counter struck midnight. The man waiting for takeaway nodded at Sybil and pleasantly said "happy new year" as did the owner and his wife while the couple at the table seemed too engrossed in each other to notice anyone else in the room.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Tom finally put on his wool overcoat and his leather gloves which were still thankfully in one of the coat's pockets, and loosely hung his scarf around his shoulders. He had left so hurriedly he hadn't notice that he had gone the opposite way from the tube station. Not wanting to take a chance passing back by Dave's flat, he decided to walk for a while since the night was surprisingly nice.

He had to chuckle when he thought about the way he had fled the party to avoid Sienna but he just didn't want to get tangled up with her again and he always found it hard to tell someone he just wasn't interested. At least he did these days although that hadn't always been the case. There had been a time in his life when … he shuttered thinking about how he had been.

His mother was right there had been a lot of women in his life. Some had only been for a night, some lasted a few months, some even a year or so.

He was embarrassed that he couldn't remember all their faces let alone their names. Actually there had only been three that Tom considered long term girlfriends but except for Sybil he had never thought of a future with them.

Tom was awoken from his thoughts by the sudden noises of car horns blaring and a few people yelling out their windows. Midnight! It was now 2016.

He didn't know how far he had walked or even where exactly he was. Maybe he would stop some place for a drink or even some food since he now realized he was hungry since he hadn't eaten at the party.

He passed a couple of rowdy bars that seem to be overflowing with customers but he wasn't in the mood for such a place. The only restaurants he passed were certainly the types of places that reservations had been made weeks ago for tonight.

Spying the bright lights of a takeaway joint that spilled out onto the sidewalk Tom headed for there. Hopefully they had a seating area and he could rest and get his bearings and decide how to get home.

The overhead sign said "Amoo's Kabob" and Tom saw through the window that there was indeed five or six tables in the small shop of which only one seemed to be occupied.

He placed his order at the counter for a beef kabob and a soda since the place didn't offer beer. He chuckled at the thought that this was probably the most sober New Year's Eve he had ever spent as an adult.

He turned towards the tables and saw that in addition to the table occupied by the couple he had seen from the window there was another table hidden from his window view by the counter which was occupied by a woman. Since there was a pot of tea on the table but only one cup he assumed she was alone. From his angle, her face was obscured by her dark curly hair that fell forward as she leaned over to pour a cup of tea.

He was rather intrigued at why a woman would be sitting alone in a kabob shop on New Year's Eve. He doubted that she was like him and running away from a party. She must have sensed that he was looking at her because she turned and looked up at him.

He blinked his eyes a few times to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. He couldn't believe he was looking at her, at that beautiful face that still haunted his dreams.

"Sybil" he gently cried out. "Sybil"

 _Did I surprise you with how they met? Not sure if I'll end it here or do an epilogue._


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you for all the lovely reviews. I can't believe how hard it was to write this chapter but I hope you'll find the effort worth it!_

Tom still couldn't believe what he was seeing or rather who he was seeing. It had to be a mirage. It couldn't be her. What would Sybil be doing alone in this somewhat shabby kabob shop in the wee hours of New Year's Eve?

"Sir your order is ready" the owner called out but Tom remained steadfast, standing there his back to the counter as he continued to stare dumbfounded at the woman sitting at the small square Formica table. His reporter mind had kicked in and he noted that she was indeed alone for there was no evidence of someone who might have stepped away from the table for a moment; there was only the one coat draped over the back of the plastic chair on Sybil's right, only the one tea pot and cup on the table, and only the one plate holding a half-eaten kabob.

For her part, Sybil was just as dumbfounded as Tom as she stared back at him with a look of pure astonishment on her face. Finally she broke off eye contact and dropped her eyes to the table thinking that when she looked up again, she'd see the man wasn't her Tom. She even thought that she'd look up again and there wouldn't even be a man there. He had just been a figment of her imagination.

But the man was real there was no mistaking that when she looked up again nor was there any mistaking that it was Tom. If pressed she would admit that over the years she had watched and listened to the BBC hoping for a glimpse of him or to hear his lovely Irish lilt and she had been such rewarded on a couple of occasions. But she had never imagined she'd see actually meet him again and as he stood there now, not five feet away, she had no idea what to say to him.

"SIR" this time the owner spoke a little louder and when that brought no response he barked "SIR" causing Sybil to tilt her head towards the man.

Quickly looking back at Tom she quietly spoke in that husky voice that Tom had loved and thought he would never tire of hearing "I think your dinner is ready" as she nodded towards the counter before breaking out in a big grin.

Tom blinked his eyes and then chuckled. He turned and took a couple of steps towards the counter where the man was eyeing him carefully. "Thanks mate" he chirped as he lifted his soda and kabob from the top of the counter. Remembering that it was only minutes past the beginning of the new year he cheerfully said "Happy New Year" to the man and woman behind the counter.

Standing at the counter waiting for his order had given Tom some time to collect his thoughts and lessen his racing heart. Although he had thought of her through the years he had never given any thought to what he would say or do if he actually met Sybil again. And now looking at her sitting five feet away, looking as beautiful as he remembered, he wasn't sure what to say.

He turned back towards Sybil, slightly lifting the hand holding the soda as he quirked his eyebrow and asked "May I?"

"Of course" she responded making room for his plate by shifting hers to the side of the small table.

His eyes were on his kabob as he set the paper plate on the table and then took a sip of his soda before setting the cup on the table. Neither spoke as Tom carefully removed his coat and folded it over the back of the chair directly across the table from Sybil before settling into the chair on her left.

Sybil's eyes focused on the tea pot and she lifted it to refill her cup before realizing her cup was already full. With her eyes staring intently at her cup, she wrapped her hands around the sturdy tea cup as if trying to get them warm. After several seconds she picked up the cup and took a deep sip of the hot fragrant dark tea. Setting the cup back on the table she finally turned her head and looked at Tom and found him staring at her, his face unreadable.

For the first time she realized he was formally dressed in black tie. Raising her eyebrow, a sly smile spread slowly across her face. "That's a pretty fancy outfit for a place like this."

Tom looked down at his chest and then shrugged his shoulders. "This … this is my usual attire for an evening out on the town" he started before grinning cheekily "I'm in my James Bond phase."

Sybil broke out in a deep laugh and Tom joined her. But as their laughter died the awkwardness of the situation took over and again each retreated into silence with Sybil looking at her tea cup as if it was the most interesting thing in the world and Tom looking at her.

Stalling for time, Tom took a couple of bites of his kabob finding it surprisingly good or maybe it was just that he was quite hungry since he hadn't had dinner thinking that he'd get his fill at Dave's party.

"I …" Tom began just as Sybil blurted "Why …"

Both stopped waiting for the other to go on which meant once again they were engulfed in silence. Finally, Tom nodded at Sybil "you go on."

She took a deep breath. "I wouldn't have thought that James Bond would be in a place like here" Tom could hear the lightheartedness in her voice "especially not on a night like tonight."

Before Tom could reply she leaned in closer to him, her face was only inches away and he could smell the faint scent of her lilac soap, and whispered "But if you're here because you're following someone don't you think you stand out a bit much?"

Tom looked around the restaurant as if he was casing the place. He and Sybil were now the only two people in the restaurant other than the man and woman working behind the counter.

"If I was following someone I think I need to go back to spy school because it's just us here" he whispered back causing Sybil to once again laugh.

He straighten up, took another bit of his kabob, and then said "Actually I'm running away from a party I never really wanted to go to where a woman I went out with twice months ago and hoped to never see again was there and followed me around like she was my puppy."

Sybil, who had leaned back in her chair, now straightened herself up with her arms crossed and elbows resting on the table. "Oh that must have been just terrible for you" the seriousness of her voice belied by the smirk on her face.

"Oh it was. If you had ever met her you'd know how bad it was." Tom took another sip of his soda. He scowled as he set the cup back on the table. "And to make matters even worse there was no ale or even whiskey being served only those horrible apple martinis or pink cosmos or some such silly stuff."

He shuddered as if to emphasize his displeasure. "I ask you what true Irish man would serve such bile?"

Looking at the seriousness of Tom's face, it took all of Sybil's willpower not to burst out laughing. "My my … this evening has been just horrible for you."

Tom nodded in agreement. Then, in an utterly serious voice, he added "It has been" he paused looking directly into her eyes "that is until I walked into here and saw …" Sybil felt her face going crimson "saw … those kabobs."

And to emphasize his point he took another bite of his rapidly disappearing kabob before looking at Sybil once again with that cheeky grin she had always found so endearing.

He ate the final bit of his kabob, wiped his mouth with the paper napkin, and pronounced it delicious and that he thought he'd order another one.

"Didn't that party have food to satisfy an Irish man or were you too busy running from your former date to eat?" she wisecracked causing Tom to chuckle.

"Unfortunately I was at the buffet table when she first cornered me and in my zeal to get away from her I left my plate there" he uttered as he patted his chest and shook his head.

Although he was still a bit hungry the fact was he didn't want to leave and thought ordering more food would be an excuse for staying.

"Can I order you anything?"

"Maybe some chips" she answered realizing she was still a bit hungry plus it would give her something to concentrate on during any more awkward silences and, even more importantly, it would give her a reason to remain sitting at the table.

As Tom walked over to the counter to place their order, Sybil couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked and how well he filled out his tux. Suddenly she recalled that New Year's Eve so long ago, the first one they had spent together at Downton, when she had to coax him into a tux that had been borrowed from Matthew. It was a bit ill-fitting on Tom but regardless of the fit he had looked so handsome even if a bit unsure of himself. That had been one change in the intervening years she quickly thought for the man before her now looked totally comfortable in his tux.

While they had broken the ice, if only for a moment or two, discussing his dress, neither had contrasted his formal wear with hers. Tom had noticed that she was wearing an unbuttoned soft-looking light blue jumper, probably angora wool since it looked a bit heavy for cashmere but which only emphasized those lovely blue eyes of hers, and underneath her jumper was a dark blue tee shirt looking top which didn't look at all like something one would normally wear under such a jumper.

During the last ten years he had honed his skill for quickly noting his surroundings and when he first saw her sitting at the table he noticed that she was wearing pants that matched her top and stylish just above the ankle leather boots with a barely raised heel that was compatible with the jumper but certainly seemed too classy for her top and pants. Now that he thought about it, it almost looked like she was wearing scrubs like doctors wear.

As he stood by the counter waiting for his order, Tom thought about how truly strange this evening had been. He glanced again at Sybil who was looking at him but quickly diverted her eyes to the table when she realized he was looking at her.

Over the years when he had thought of her he had mostly thought of their past, remembering their times together. They hadn't broken up because of a fight or disagreement that escalated until there was no turning back, there had been no angry confrontation but rather it had been a slow realization that their lives had moved in two different directions. He had been left with many good memories, and maybe a bit of a broken heart, but certainly no bitterness.

When he had first realized their relationship was over it seemed natural to compare the women he met with her. For a while he couldn't date a woman with dark hair and blue eyes because it was too heartbreaking when he realized she wasn't Sybil.

He had wondered what she was doing now but had never really thought of their meeting again for that had just seemed so unlikely. They didn't really have any mutual friends and they certainly traveled in different social circles. Even after he had seen her father and began looking at the society pages of the newspapers, he never truly made an attempt to find her which in these days of the internet would probably have been rather easy. Maybe he had been afraid of what he would have found out.

Returning to the table with their new order, both Tom and Sybil dug into the food as a way of avoiding conversation. It was after three or four bites of his kabob and several of Sybil's chips, that Tom's curiosity finally won out.

"So I've told you my story of woe" Tom dramatically sighed but the twinkle in his eyes confirmed it was just an act "and I must say I'm a bit hurt that you don't seem too sympathetic" to which Sybil just rolled her eyes "but you haven't said how you ended up here tonight."

"Well my story is nothing dramatic like yours" she paused as she took another bite of a chip. "But I just got off work and was walking home when I passed by here I realized I was hungry so …" Sybil shrugged her shoulders "so here I am."

"Walking home from work at this hour?" Tom couldn't conceal his surprise. "What is that you do?"

"I'm an emergency room nurse at St. Michael's Hospital." Tom noted there was no mistaking the pride in her voice.

"Wow … a nurse … I'm" Tom was surprised of the change in Sybil's career. "When … how … how did that happen?"

For the next two hours the conversation between the two flowed so naturally, so smoothly, that anyone watching them would think they were old friends which indeed they were if one didn't count that ten year gap. Sybil was delighted that Tom was so complimentary about the new direction her life had taken for even after three years of working as a nurse her family seemed puzzled and even embarrassed at her career choice.

Although they covered much of what each had been doing during the past ten years, both avoided any discussion of their mutual past. There was no reminiscing of their university days nor their romance that had consumed so much of that time.

The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they paid scant attention to their surroundings. Neither noticed that the kabob shop had become quite busy, especially with takeaway orders, or that the tables around them were filled with diners and that as one party moved on their table was quickly taken by new diners.

The crowd of diners had finally diminished around three in the morning and the owners decided to close up shop. The owner was quite surprised to find that the only remaining customers were the man in the tux, something that looked quite incongruous in this shop, and the young woman much more casually dressed, who had come in separately but had now been talking for hours.

"I think he wants us to leave Sybil" Tom stated as he noted the man had finished wiping down all the tables except theirs and now stood beside their table. Taking a glance at his watch he was surprised to see the time.

Both Sybil and Tom nodded at the man as they stood to retrieve their coats and brace themselves for the early morning cold air. As she reached the front door Sybil turned around and cheerily cried out "Happy New Year" and received smiles from the man and his wife.

It was much colder than when either had arrived had the kabob shop and both wrapped their scarves around their necks to ward off the chill. They stood outside the shop, a sudden silence enveloping them as each seemed to wonder what to do next. They were still standing there when the interior lights of the kabob shop went out leaving only the street lamps at the corner and the neon signs of several closed shops shedding faint light on the deserted street.

It was Sybil that broke the silence. "My flat is only about five minutes away."

"I'll walk you home then" Tom replied as he reached for Sybil's arm. They walked in silence with each seemingly lost in their own thoughts although they walked companionably with Sybil's arm wrapped around Tom's.

As they neared the corner, the area became strictly residential with attached tall Georgian buildings that had probably at one time been single family homes but now divided into several flats lining both sides of the road. Sybil steered him left at the corner and the tall Georgian buildings gave way to a tree lined street with three and four story houses most of which were semi-attached with the occasional detached home interspersed among them. All had small front gardens walled off from the sidewalk and a few had converted their garden into a car park. It was a prosperous looking area and definitely a step up from Tom's neighborhood.

Sybil stopped about half way down the block in front of a large semi-attached house. She had told Tom she had used some of her trust money to buy a property with a large two bedroom flat that took up all of the basement and the first floor which she lived in and that she rented out the flats on the two upper floors. The left half of the small front garden and been paved over and a small SUV was parked in the space.

"I think you used your trust money quite wisely" Tom stated as he looked at the building Sybil owned. He had to admit to himself he was impressed with her choice of house and its location and he thought it was a wise investment.

Sybil nodded as she looked at her building and smiled as if she was quite pleased with herself. It wasn't the type of place her parents had thought she should buy, they had tried to steer her into a posh building with a doorman and 24 hour concierge services but she had wanted her own place with a back garden. She loved that her living room with it large French windows opened up into the back garden. She had spent many hours during her nursing student days sitting in that garden studying.

Sybil tried to stifle a yawn, after all it had been a very long day and she had worked a ten hour shift, yet Tom was still quick to notice it. He was disappointed because he feared it meant she wanted to end their evening although realistically it was now very early morning. However, the one thing he was sure of was that he wanted to see her again.

"I guess I …" Tom started.

"Why don't you drive my car home" Sybil interrupted him and catching him off guard with her suggestion.

He faced her with a look of puzzlement plainly written on his face.

She shyly smiled at his puzzlement. "You can return it this evening when you come back for dinner."

 **One Year Later – New Year's Eve**

For the first time in years Tom was looking forward to New Year's Eve for he was a man with a plan. He had made sure the place would be open, he had checked the route, he was ready. It hadn't escaped his notice that Sybil seemed a bit disappointed that he had seemed rather nonchalant about her having to work on New Year's Eve. Although family and friends could remind her that she always said New Year's Eve was no big deal, she was feeling a bit different this year. _We'll go for a late supper, somewhere casual he had told her._

The chilly and cloudy skies that had threaten rain all day had finally given way to a cold rain in the early evening. This caused Tom to make a slight change in his plans for he had wanted to meet Sybil at the hospital after her shift and walk her to his surprise. Instead he was now waiting in a taxi for Sybil to emerge from the hospital.

When he spotted her coming through the hospital's front glass doors he felt his heart quicken. He was amazed that after all this time she still had that effect on him. She had her raincoat tightly bundled around her to ward off the cold wetness but he knew that she had changed out of her scrubs. _He had thought to tell her not to change, that her scrubs would be perfect, maybe she'd just want to put on a jumper especially that lovely blue one, but he thought that might give away the game._

He opened the taxi door and she made a dash for it.

"Sorry I'm so late" she began before Tom quieted her with a kiss.

"It's okay, we'll still get there before midnight" he said confidently causing her to quirk her eyebrow in the way she had of showing when she was baffled or bemused by something he said.

Her bafflement only increased when the taxi stopped just a few minutes later. What casual place is here she thought before spying the neon sign _Amoo's Kabobs._

When she realized this was indeed _the casual place_ she had to laugh.

"Well you've certainly surprised me Tom. It's not exactly what, or where, I had in mind but"

"You love the food here"

"But it's New Year's Eve … usually a night for a place a little bit special."

"Ah" he purred. "This is a special place or have you forgotten?"

Sybil giggled. "You mean last New Year's Eve?" She turned her head towards him, looking directly in his eyes as she softly whispered "I haven't forgotten."

"Good. Now let's get in there before we're soaked."

If Sybil was surprised by the _where_ she was even more surprised when Tom took off his coat revealing his outfit.

"Back in your James Bond phase?" she teased as she ran her eyes up and down Tom's well-toned body that was only accented by his tux causing Tom to laugh and Sybil to join him in laughter.

"Sybil" Tom called softly as he reached for her hand. "Last year at this time I walked into this place and my life changed."

Sybil nodded and could feel small tears welling up in her eyes.

"I love you Sybil. I love you more than anyone I've ever met. In some ways I don't regret those ten years we were apart because it made us who we are today. But one thing I know, with all my heart, I never want to be apart again. Marry me Sybil."

 **Three Years Later**

She had been restless all day. Nothing made her comfortable whether she was walking or sitting or lying down. Tom seemed just as restless as he paced around asking what he could do, did she want something to eat, something to drink, did she want him to rub her back or her feet.

She wondered how she was going to get through the next three weeks. But her thoughts on that were suddenly shattered when she felt pain and she cried out for Tom.

Once again Sybil was spending New Year's Eve at the hospital. Only this time she wasn't there as a nurse but as a patient.

It had taken all night but now at 5 am on New Year's Day the doctor proclaimed "You have a son."


End file.
